Gran Turismo 5 weather could hint at new tracks in full version

The menu system in Gran Turismo 5: Prologue shows much information... and may …

One of the nicer updates to the Grand Turismo series in Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is the "My Page" menu system. It's easy to get around in and the calendar gives us hope for a simple way to schedule online races; the game also gives us the weather for many places around the world. Still... the game only gives us weather information for certain locations. I caught up with one of Ars' resident racing game super-fans, unimental, and asked him about it. His response was enlightening.

"On the top right-hand side of the 'My Page" main menu there's a little map with dots. These all represent classic racing facilities. There's a little blurb below the clock which will list one of the dots and the associated weather at that location. It may just be a neat way of providing the weather in various countries with a nod to players who have some knowledge of these tracks... or potentially a hint of what might make it into GT5."

I ask for a few examples, and he's happy to provide them. "So, instead of the widget saying 'Germany' it says 'Nurburg' (home of famous tracks like Nurburgring GP and the Nordschleife) or 'Hockenheim.' The Nordschleife will be in GT5, but neither Hockenheim nor the Nurburgring GP circuit have been confirmed for Gran Turismo 5."

The Gran Turismo series is known for attention to detail, and the little touches are part of what fans love about the games. I doubt that these locations were just thrown in there, and it's even more doubtful that Polyphony Digital is going to focus on tracks that won't be in the full version. Our friend unimental agrees.

"It's names like Monza, Le Mans, Zolder, Imola, and others which have never seen a Gran Turismo rendering that raise an eyebrow," he explains. "There are even listings for tracks that are already in GT5:Prologue (Suzuka, Fuji, Daytona), further fueling the theory of it being a hint at the potential full track list."

This is all rumor and hearsay from people who know an incredible amounts about the racing world, but it's certainly enough to get people talking.